How Cold Should it be to start wearing tights?

Misapplication of the term "blue collar."

FOUL! wrote:

Misapplication of the term "blue collar."

If that's the case, why is anyone who wears cool max or under armor considered a yuppie around here?

The general rule of thumb is that if you go outside and are a little bit uncomfortable because of the cold, you are wearing the exact right amount of clothes. If you go out and you're immediately freezing, put on another layer. If you go outside and you're immediately warm, shed a layer.

If it's really cold, a little trick of the trade I use is to wear my running clothes around inside for about 10 minutes before I leave the house, that way the clothes themselves are warmed up.

I hope you youngsters are taking notes because I dropping all kinds of knowledge on this thread...

I don't know the type of fabric or the name brand of the clothing that the Kenyans, Ethiopians, Japanese, etc. wear, I just know that about any US runner would consider them overdressed in what they are often seen running around wearing. And they definitely outwork any of those clowns you see running around bare-chested in short shorts in 40 degree weather and certainly the yuppie runners with their breathe rite strips and wrist computers in their matching running outfits that look more like soccer uniforms than essential running gear. Yuppie runners focus on details that are superfluous to their physical investment in training. Witness the yuppie cyclists with the $10,000+ bikes and slick, matching lycra gear. They look like pros at a distance in freeze frame, but the similarity ends there. I guess the takeaway here is further confirmation of that old adage: correlation does not equal causation.

Dean, you should know by now youngsters at letsrun know more than anyone else, especially the older guys.

Except spelling, because that doesn't matter.

I find it works well for me to dress a shade warmer than I need to, because it keeps me working just that little bit harder, keeps my heat tolerance good for the summer, and keeps my muscles warm and supple. Whatever about being 'tough', I'd feel stupid if I strained a calf on a cold morning run because I wanted to look macho.

I had always laughed at US HS and college runners running around in 30 degree (sub 0 in Celzius, whatever it is in F) and colder weather in shorts and short sleeved T-shirts. Their violet coloured skins were the best indicator of their state, despite their macho-style tough talk. For a fast runner, it is ridiculous not to dress accordingly (i.e. long pants or tights, long t-shirt or jacket, hat, gloves) and then suffer consequences like pulled muscles, runny nose, frost bites, loss of energy through unnecessary hyponathermia, etc.). Tights, running pants, sweats... are totally appropraite even for the fastest runners. (BTW, there is a reason why Haile, Kennenisa or Paula wear long tights even in 15 degrees of Celzia (50 F) and it's not for fashion)

The only people I had admitted that don't really need to dress much were my Finish running friends. They even walked around during the day in freezing weather in short sleeved T-shirts and were fine. I can imagine that they would be really hot during the run.

Keeping it real means wearing shorts and running on concrete. Anything else means that you are just one of the masses.

uh_no wrote:

i go with 32 degs

if its windy or wet, that number goes up

but the more warm your upper body is, the more warm your legs will be

wear a hat

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I go with anything below 40 degrees. I wear spothills, not tights. Although chicks dig the tights. They show your junk.

Real men do not wear tights they wear sweat pants. Women or gay men wear tights. So are you a woman or a gay man? Anyway good luck at your race in Dec.

I'm pretty sure that all the Kenyans who get unanesthetized circumcisions and who run around in tights in cold weather are closer to being real men than you soft white boys in your sweat pants ever will get.